NBA Draft 2011: The Position Every NBA Team Needs to Shore Up Through the Draft

Whether a team is in complete rebuilding mode or needs just one piece to bolster their roster, every NBA franchise has a draft strategy this year. This year's draft is full of quality players, ones who are sure to impact the NBA from day one.

Depending on where every team is slated to pick can drastically change who they will target on draft day.

Some teams, like the San Antonio Spurs, tend to have very conservative draft strategies. While other franchises, like the Sacramento Kings, are often very aggressive when drafting top talent.

29. Atlanta Hawks

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The Hawks have one of the most balanced starting lineups in the NBA. There are not a lot of holes in their lineup, but there isn’t a whole lot of flash either. The Hawks overpaid shooting guard Joe Johnson last year, leaving them with very little financial room.

Small forward Marvin Williams has been one of the biggest busts in recent memory. After being a top three pick out of UNC, Williams has had a very tough transition to the pro level. He still plays plenty of minutes, but he is as streaky and inconsistent as they come.

If there is a viable small forward available the Hawks will certainly take him.

However, Atlanta will likely be selecting someone to provide bench depth. Possibly snagging a snubbed college standout or overlooked foreigner is where Atlanta should look with their first pick.

27. Los Angeles Lakers

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The Lakers roster is completely stacked, except for one position. L.A. is in desperate need of a small forward who can score as well as defend. Ron Artest has been a big disappointment this year, causing serious concern for the Lakers.

The Lakers will be looking for a scoring wing this draft. Guys like Nikola Mirotic, Scotty Hopson, David Lighty and Ravern Johnson will all be on their radar.

All of those guys bring various elements to the table. Whether the Lakers will look for athleticism, shooting, raw talent or a foreign factor will be up to them.

26. Los Angeles Clippers

Besides power forward and shooting guard, the Clippers need help everywhere. They have DeAndre Jordan and Chris Kaman at center, though Kaman has been in trade discussions all year long.

The “other” team in L.A. has two big needs, which are small forward and quality bench play. The Clippers drafted small forward Al-Farouq Aminu last year, who was very slow to progress in his rookie season.

The Clippers first pick will come in the 35-40 range, making it that much more important they find quality talent.

23. New Jersey Nets

The Nets need to start taking some chances. If they want to keep star point guard Deron Williams in town, New Jersey will need to select a pick with high potential.

Their riskiest options include Jeremy Tyler and Nikola Mirotic. Tyler famously made news a few years ago, when he decided to skip his senior year of high school and head overseas instead.

Tyler’s overseas career has generally been a bust, but his size and raw talent make him an intriguing prospect. At 6’10”, 250 pounds, Tyler has the ability to impact the NBA, all the while proving the doubters wrong.

On the other hand, Mirotic is a 6’10” shooter who has high potential. Mirotic can square up from anywhere on the court, making Deron Williams’ job that much easier.

22. Dallas Mavericks

The Dallas Mavericks have a quality roster top to bottom. They have depth at nearly every position, besides power forward.

With franchise player Dirk Nowitzki playing power forward, the Mavs need to get some insurance.

Dallas will have their option of versatile power forwards at the end of the first round. Whether they want the shooting stroke of Justin Harper, finesse game of Jon Leuer or bruising body of Jordan Williams will be up to them.

Harper would be the best fit for Dallas. He has the inside-out game that the Mavs play, making the movement to their rotation that much easier.

19. Oklahoma City Thunder

Besides Kevin Durant, the Thunder do not have a legitimate small forward on the team. Even though Durant has been extremely durable, it’s time for the Thunder to pick up some insurance.

Athletic forward Chris Singleton could excel in Oklahoma City.

Playing limited minutes, Singleton is seen as a great defender. Being able to disrupt passing lanes, block shots and pick people’s pockets are Singleton’s specialties. At 6’9”, Singleton is also a very underrated passer and rebounder.

Singleton isn’t completely one dimensional either. He has developed his shot over the years, now able to hit threes at a solid rate.

17. Portland Trail Blazers

Like many teams drafting at this point, the Blazers' biggest needs will likely be off the board. They need a point guard as well a center, but certainly won’t get a good one without trading up.

With their biggest needs off the board, Portland needs to look other ways.

Versatile swing man Tyler Honeycutt will likely be available at this point. Honeycutt is extremely flexible and can impact the game in just about every way.

With Rudy Fernandez’s well documented unhappiness in Portland, Honeycutt could step in and play his role. Honeycutt doesn’t have the offensive prowess of Fernandez but he can guard with the best of them.

Honeycutt could a great addition to an already very diverse Portland lineup.

16. New Orleans Hornets

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The Hornets have several needs to fill if they want to keep Chris Paul in town.

They need a shooting guard, but there won’t be many left at this point. If New Orleans wanted to go with a risky selection here they could take Shelvin Mack from Butler. Mack is extremely undersized at shooting guard, but knows exactly what it takes to put the ball in the basket.

With the terrible year of Trevor Ariza, the Hornets could use another small forward. New Orleans could target Tyler Honeycutt, Jordan Hamilton or Chris Singleton. Singleton and Honeycutt are formidable on defense, while Hamilton can do a little bit of everything.

Last, the Hornets could use a power forward if David West is to leave town. High energy power forward Kenneth Faried might make the most sense for New Orleans. He attacks the boards, explodes from the floor and hustles like no one else in this draft.

Once again, New Orleans pick all comes down to what they believe is the best to keep Chris Paul in town.

In the middle of the first round Philadelphia should have several options at power forward.

Guys like Tristan Thompson, Kenneth Faried and Trey Thompkins should be available for the 76ers picking.

Philly should go with Thompson in the first round, who clearly has the most potential of the three. Thompson can be inconsistent, but his overall presence in the paint should make him a good player in the NBA.

12. Houston Rockets

With the departure of Yao Ming, the Rockets are left searching for a center to clog the paint. They role with Chuck Hayes and Brad Miller right now, something that certainly has to change.

Houston could make somewhat of a “project pick” here, selecting foreign big center Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas is somewhat raw at this point, but has the potential to be a dominant big man.

The Lithuanian native has good potential to grow well over seven feet, which adds to his value. Adding to his case, Valanciunas is smooth, quick, has long arms, huge hands and a soft touch around the basket.

It’s a risky pick for the Rockets, but they might have their next franchise center if it works out.

9. Charlotte Bobcats

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On a team with no superstar or “franchise” player it’s hard to say who Charlotte should go with. They have the dangerous Stephen Jackson, who is going on 33 years old. Point guard DJ Augustin had a good season, but shouldn’t be the point guard of the future.

Whoever is the top talent on the board is who Charlotte should select. Between Marcus Morris, Terrence Jones, Kawhi Leonard, Perry Jones or Jimmer Fredette, Charlotte needs the best long term option.

It will be interesting to see how Charlotte drafts this year considering it’s Michael Jordan’s first draft as the owner.

8. Milwaukee Bucks

Outside of Brandon Jennings and Andrew Bogut, the Bucks are open for business. Milwaukee has found their franchise point guard and center, so this draft will be important to fill the spots in-between.

Milwaukee could go several ways with this pick.

Versatile players like Marcus Morris, Kawhi Leonard or Terrence Jones could fit here best. Brandon Jennings loves to have versatile guys around him, meaning any of those three would be best suited for this pick.

Terrence Jones helped guide Kentucky to a Final Four appearance this year, all but guaranteeing a boost in draft stock.

7. Detroit Pistons

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Besides Greg Monroe, the Detroit Pistons are one of two years away from starting over completely. After incredibly overpaying Charlie Villanueva and Ben Gordon two summers ago, the Pistons are in deep trouble.

They are about to lose former franchise players Tayshaun Prince and Richard Hamilton, so the roster will explode at any moment.

While Detroit could select any position, their biggest weakness is center.

If Enes Kanter is somehow available, the Pistons should definitely take him. If not, Detroit should go with a foreign big man in Donatas Motiejunas or Jonas Valanciunas.

5. Sacramento Kings

The Kings have done a great job of selecting quality talent in the first round the last two years. After picking rookie of the year Tyreke Evans in 2009, the Kings picked up dominant big man DeMarcus Cousins this past year.

Sacramento looks to continue that streak this draft. The Kings have holes at shooting guard, small forward and center.

With talented players like Perry Jones, Alec Burks, Jan Vesely and Enes Kanter possibly still on the board, the Kings should should take Jones.

Jones is a once in a lifetime type of talent. He possesses extreme athleticism, quickness and dribbling skills to become a huge NBA stud.

4. Toronto Raptors

Outside of Andrea Bargnani, the Raptors have plenty of minutes to disperse to quality talent. Toronto is trying to load up on young talent, adding Ed Davis and DeMar DeRozan over the past couple years. Besides those three, Toronto needs top talent.

Toronto is in line for the fourth pick, so top talents Derrick Williams and Kyrie Irving should be gone. After that, Toronto should go with the best available.

2. Minnesota Timberwolves

The Timberwolves biggest areas of need are shooting guard and center. Although those are their biggest needs, Minnesota could certainly use help across the board.

Between Kyrie Irving and Derrick Williams, the T-Wolves are likely to take one of the available two. However, these guys would help them out more in the immediate run.

Harrison Barnes could be great playing on the wing along with Michael Beasley. They both are great at getting to the rim, meaning they could find each other for open shots routinely. On top of that, Barnes is an underrated defender and could make up for Beasley’s lack of effort.

Enes Kanter could be the biggest help to Kevin Love down low. Both are very well rounded, smart, smooth and hard working players in the front court. Kanter could easily make the transition to center, all the while transforming Minnesota into one of the toughest front courts in the NBA.

1. Cleveland Cavaliers

With likely the first overall pick, and then the Clippers first pick, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a chance to fill some serious holes.

The Clippers pick is likely to land inside the top 10, meaning Cleveland needs to step up and hit a home run this draft.

The Cavs roster is currently point guard and front court heavy. Cleveland has Ramon Sessions and Baron Davis at point guard. In the front court the Cavs have Antawn Jamison, Anderson Varejao, JJ Hickson and Samardo Samuels.

Cleveland is likely to take Derrick Williams over future-stud point guard Kyrie Irving, which could be a huge mistake. Williams does have the top end potential, but the risk could be too much. Williams will have to transition to the wing in the pros, something that doesn't always work out for every player.

By drafting Irving, Cleveland would have the option of trading Sessions or Davis for considerable value.

With the other pick, Cleveland needs to go for a center or wing. Even though Cleveland has many good front court players, none are true centers.